Boy allen spellman



R. A. SPELLMAN.

} LAMP SHADE. APPLICATlON HLED OCT- 19. 1918.

Patented July 8, 1919.

ROY SPELLMAN, 01 ST. JO$EPH, MICHIGAN.

. Specification of letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Application filed 'fictoberls, 1918. Serial No. 258,777.

To all whom it may concern Be it'known that 1, Roy A. SPELLMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of St. Joseph, Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lamp-Shades, 'of which the following is a'specification.

his invention relates to lamp shades of the kind that are used more particularly on electric lamps, and especially those which are suspended. at the lower ends of cords, as is frequently necessary in offices and other places.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a very simple and economical lamp shade of novel and advantageous form, constructed from a single blank of paper or other sheet material, and having interlocking provisions whereby the blank maybe quickly reduced to conical form, by wrapping it around the electric light bulb, so that it will then rest on the lamp in the desired manner.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction tending to increase the general eiiiciency and the de sirability of a lamp shade of this )articularv and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a plan of the blank from which the lamp shade, embodying theprinciples of the invention, is made.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the lamp shade after the blank is reducedto the conical form necessary to provide alamp shade of the desired shape.

As thus illustrated, the blank can be formed from paper or other sheet material, of suitable stifiness, and has an outer curved edge 1 and an inner curved edge 2, the latter forming a central opening. Except for one side which is cut away, the blank is practically in the form of a disk. At the side where the disk is cutaway, the blank has a straight end edge 3 and a slotkl, both of which extend toward the central opening. The slot 4 is preferably straight and narrow and disposed a distance from the edge 3, and the ends of the slot are each some distance from the outer or inner edge of the blank. At its other end, the blank has an in the slot in any direction.

interlocking portion 5 which is formed with prongs 6 and 7, the latter being scored at 8 to make it foldablebackward upon the- The body of said interlocking portion. edges 9 and 10 at each side of said interlock ing portion are not in alinement with each other, but. are flared outwardly and away from the interlocking portion, sothat these edges are close to the inner edges of said prongs, whereby a sharp V space 11 is formed at each side of said interlocking portion. Thus the blank is substantially more in form than one-half of a disk, and the end edges of the blank converge toward the central opening. With this construction, and with the edges 9 and 10 disposed at the angles shown, better results are obtained in fitting and shaping the shade around the socket of the lamp, and the shade has the desired conical form.

The fiat blank thus formed is reduced to tric light bulb, or preferably around the socket just above the bulb, and by inserting the interlocking portion 5 through the slot 4, this being accomplished by inserting the prong 6 first, the prong 7 having been doubled back upon the body of the portion 5, whereby the interlocking portion is insertible through a slot which is much shorter than the distance from the tip of the prong 6 to the tip of the prong 7, the prong 7 being released after the parts are thus interlocked. It will be seen that the length of the slot 4 is practically the same as the distance between the points of the two ii-spaces 11, so that the interlocking end portions of the blank are held firmly against displacement The edges 9 and 10 overlap the upper and lower portions of the straight edge 3, it will be seen, a suitable distance, and by shaping the sheet material with the hands, these overlapping portions of the two ends of the blank can be made to rest tightly together. To remove the shade, the prong 7 is folded back upon the surface of the portion 5, and this prong is then pulled through the slot first, and

the prong 6 will pass through the slot last.

forms a very rigid shade of conical form,

with an opening at its apex or top to accommodate the upper portion of the bulb, so that the shade will hang properly, and will be properly balanced on the lamp.

What I claim as my inventlon 1s:-

1. In an electric lamp shade, a single flat blank of sheet material having a central opening, a slot formed in one end portion of the blank, an interlocking portion projecting from the edge of the other end of the blank, adapted to enter said slot to form an interlocking connection, thereby to rigidly hold the blank in conical form, and lapping portions above and below said interlocking connection, said interlocking portion having upper and lower prongs which extend in opposite directions and one of which is foldable back upon the surface of the blank to permit insertion of this portion through said slot to hold the two ends of the blank firmly in interlocked relation, said opening being at the top when the shade is on the lamp,

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said prongs being inside of the shade, and the lower prong being scored to make it flexible, the blank having a straight edge adjacent to said slot, which edge and slot extend toward said opening, and the blank having end edges which are flared away from said interlocking portion.

3. A lamp shade consisting of a single fiat blank provided with a central opening and with end edges which converge toward said opening, a slot extending toward said open ing in one end portion of the blank, and

means projecting from the edge of the other end of the blank to enter and occupy the full length of said slot to firmly interlock the ends and rigidly hold the blank in conical form, said opening being at the top when the shade is on the lamp.- I 40 4:. In a lamp-shade, a single blank of sheet material having circular outer and, inner edges, whereby the blank in general form is disk-like with-one side so cut away that said edges are each continuous for a distance greater than one-half of the circle, with a slot near one end of the blank and a projection on the other end thereof to enter said slot, which projection is formed to require folding thereof in order to pass through said 0 slot, being thereafter unfolded to retain the blank in conical form with an opening at the top thereof.

5. A structure as specified in claim 4:, said slot and the end edges of the blank being tangential, substantially as shown and described.

Signed ROY ALLEN SPELLMAN. 

